Among the massive crowds at the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering in northern India’s Prayagraj city, there is a unique group of people called Kalpwasis.
They are mostly elderly pilgrims who undertake what is called Kalpwas – a month-long stay on the banks of the sacred Ganges river. They believe this will bring them closer to God and to salvation.
Since 13 January, when the Kumbh Mela began, over a million Kalpwasis are reported to have been camping out in the cold in tents spread across the fair grounds.
Two of them told the BBC what their day looks like.
Video by Ankit Srinivas, Antriksha Pathania and Anahita Sachdev
BBC News
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